Turbine gas-engine



G. F. AND K. 0.-scHM|D.

TURBINE GAS ENGINE.

APPLlc/Tlon man ocr so, 1919.

G. F. AND K. 0. SCHMID.

TURBINE GAS ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED ocr so. 1919.

1,340,563, Patented May 18, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET E.

UNTTED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

GOTTLOB I'. SOB'JIID AND KARL 0. SCHHID, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

TUBBINE GAS-ENGINE.

Speoication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1920.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, Go'i'rLoB F. Somali and KARL O. ScHMiD, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Indiana olis, in the county of Marion andState of diana, have invented a new and useful Turbine Gas- Engine, ofwhich the following is the specication.

In reciprocating-piston gas-engmes the driving impulse is exerted onlyevery fourth stroke, the three other strokes being consumed in cleaningout the cylinder, drawing in a fresh mixture of air and gas, and incompressing the latter before ex losion. Moreover the chan e indirection o travel of the piston resu ts in lost inertia and causes apounding strain on the mechamsm which is damaging.

The object of this invention is to provide a rotating head which movesin one direction continuously, and is driven by gas explosions atalternate diametricall opposite sides of the head so as apply t e rivingimpulses in rapid succession, but with maximum cooling intervals in therespective explosion chambers, to prevent disintegration of those partsby the action of the great heat to which the are subjected.

Another o ject is so to construct and house the rotary head that it willdraw the air in and discharge it after the manner of a rotary blower,and cool the walls of the explosion chambers by constantly bathing themwith a current of outside air of a much lower temperature.

A further object is to form the parts so the will be easy to constructand. assemble, andY so they will be readily accessible afterward forcleaning, adjustments and repairs, and the object is to provide for thethorough lubrication of the rotary head.

We accomplish all of the above, and other objects which will hereinafterappear, by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1, is a view in side elevation of our assembled invention,a part of the housing being broken away to show the driving gearsinside. Fig. 2, is a vertical section at right angles to the maindriving shaft,.on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3, is a vertical sectionon the line 3-3 of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on theline 4.-4, of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5, is a detail in side elevation ofone of the explosion chambers and its housing.

The rotary head 8, is mounted on a main drive-shaft 9, which shaft ismounted in suitable journals 10, of usual construction, which, in turn,are supported by a base 11, within which there is a chamber with ti litsides and bottom within which the hea 8 and a more immediate housing forsaid head, are suspended.

The rotary head 8 comprises a hub mounted in a fixed manner on shaft 9 arim 12, and a web 13, connecting the hul) and rim. Formed equi-distantfrom each other in the rim are five expansion pockets 14, into whichexpanding gas from exploded gas mixtures in appropriately locatedexplosion chambers, is admitted at predetermined positions of the head.The walls 15, of the pockets present surfaces toward the direction oftravel of the head which are adapted to convert the expansive force ofthe gas into rotary energy against the head, a concave shape being hereshown, which is approached by a plane surface 16, in a chord of theperipheral circle of the head.

The rim 12 is also provided with an integral radial lange 17, having aport 18, between each pair of adjacent pockets 14. This ange shuts olfthe supply of gas to the explosion chambers except at proper sitionswhen admission of gas is provide for by a suitably located port of therotating ange coming into register with a port of a stationary explosionchamber.

The periphery of the rotary head 8, makes a close running lit in anannular band 19, of a fixed housing comprising also a radial flange 20,having a close running fit against the flange 17 of the head. The lian e20 is bolted to a removable disk 21, whic closes that side of a housingfor the rotary head. A web 22, on the other side of the head, isintegral with the band 19. The web 22 has a series of openings 23, forthe admission of air to the interior of the housing for the purpose ofair-cooling the metal of the rotary head surrounding its expansionpockets 14. A positive air-current is insured by the formation ofopenings in the web 13, each having similarly oblique radial edges 24,25, which act as vanes, on the principle of a blower to draw in the airand discharge it when the head is rotated.

The explosion chambers 26, here shown as two in number, are locateddiametrically opposite each other in the angle between thecasing-members 19 ad 20, and are pref- Vlatter are successively broughtinto position opposite an open end of one of said explosion chambers 2G.By providing an odd number of equally spaced expansion chambers with aport 18 between each, and two explosion chambers at opposite sides ofthe engine, all as here shown, the driving impulses will be exerted onthe rotary head at alternate diametrically opposite intervals; and amaximum cooling time will be afforded to the parts which are heated asan accompanying result of the explosions.

By placing the ports in flange 17 of the rotating head proper timing issecured; and leakage between the flange and adjacent gas-passages isprevented by forming an nula-r sockets in the side members bearing saidpassages, inf which are close-fitting split spring-metal packingrings2'?, 27, (see Figs. 2 and 4) which bear agalnst said flange 17.

The explosion chambers 26 are closed at their outer ends by removableheads 2S, which support sparking-plugs 29, of usual construction; and,to insure the maximum obtainable air-coolin f efficiency we surround themajor portion o' said chamber 26 with a casing 30, having entrance portsfrom the main housing and discharge ports 31 near their outer ends.

To supplement the ordinary carbureter, or as a substitute in someinstances, we provide a fan, in housing 30 of usual construction, whichis driven by spur gears 32 and r,33.fr om shaft 9. Gas enters thehousing through pipe 34 and is discharged through pipe 35 into manifold36. The latter has two branches each leading to a respective explosionchamber 26, on each side of the engine. A'damper 35 affords means forregulating the supply of air to the housing 30.

A pop-valve 37 takes from the pipe 25 and has a pipe 38 to return theexcess gas mixture to the pipe 34 so none will be wasted.

A magneto 39, operated by gears 40, 41 and 42, from shaft 9, is wired,in the usual `manner to the spark-plugs 29. The magneto has the usualtiming device (not shown) for furnishing the required spark at the righttime and place. l

Oil cups 43, are provided in suitable proximity to the rotary head 8.These have oilsaturated wicks which wipe the peripher of the head, andthe lubricant thus deposited is carried and distributed by the rotatinghead. This periphery has annular channels 44, in which the surplus oilis drained and deposited by gravity in the lower part of the housing forthe rotary head, as shown in Fig. 3. From there it is taken by a pump45. The pump is driven from the arbor of gear wheel 41, by a belt asshown in Fig. 1. The pump returns the oil to the cups 43, through pipes46, and any additional quantity needed is taken from an oil tank 47. Thejournals for shaft 9, and other shafts and rubbing parts are accessibleand may be lubricated in any usual and suitable manner.

The exhaust is to chambers 48, 48, on diametrically opposite sides ofthe rotary head 8, when the respective charged heads reach them, and thespent gas is taken thence through suitable pipes 49 to a muffier (notshown) or wherever desired.

ln the operation of our engine the hydrocarbon mixture is in thebranches of the manifold pipe ready to charge one of the explosionchambers when one of the ports in the rotary flange registers andprovides the required opening. Then the supply is cut off by the travelof the liange and the charge in the explosion chamber is fired just asthe next expansion chamber reaches the opening in the small end of theexplosion chamber. The expanding gas enters the expansion chamber as thelatter moves on and a further rotation of the head brings the' expansionchamber opposite the exhaust chamber where the spent gas escapes.

Vile have shown and described the construction embodying the principlesof our invention now thought to be the best for the purpose intended,but we do not limit ourselves to such construction; on the contrary wehold ourselves at liberty to make such changes as fairly fall within thescope of our invention, and therefore claim as our invention:

1. ln an internal combustion engine, a rotatable member having aplurality of expansion chambers, relatively stationary explosionchambers, means comprising a flange on the rotatable member with portsto supply a hydrocarbon mixture to the explosion chambers, means to exlode the mixture, means for discharging t e expanding product into theexpansion chambers, and means for discharging the spent roduct,

2. In an internal com ustion engine, a rotatable member having aplurality of peripheral cavities and a radial flange with a port openingbetween each peripheral cavity, a stationary member having an annularband in which the periphery of said rotatable member makes a closerunning lit, said stationary member also having a fixed radial angemaln'ng a close running fit against the fiange of the rotatable member,one or more explosion chambers fixed in the angle between the annularband and its flange, each chamber having an inlet opening through itsad] acent flange adapted to register with successive port-openings ofthe rotatable flange and said explosion chambers each having an outletopening through the annular band of the stationary member wherebycommunication is established between an explosion chamber and aperipheral cavity when one of said cavities is brought opposite theoutlet opening of that chamber by the movement of the rotatable member,means for supplyingi a hydrocarbon mixture to an explosion c amber whenthe openings in the two flanges register, and means for exploding themixture.

3. In an internal combustion engine, a rotatable member having aplurality of peripheral cavities and an adjacent radial flange, saidiiange having a transverse portopening between each two of saidcavities, a fixed explosion chamber having an inlet port closed by saidflange except when in registration with a port of the flange and havingan outlet opening closed by the rotatable member except when in registerwith one of the peripheral cavities of said rotatable member, a manifoldpipe supplying a hydrocarbon mixture and closed by the rotatable angeexcept when its openin is in register with a port of the flange, anmeans for exploding a mixture in the explosion chamber.

4. In an internal combustion engine, a rotatable flange having aplurality of portopenings, an explosion chamber having an inlet portclosed by the flange except when in register with a port of the flange,a manifold pipe su plying a hydrocarbon mixture and close by therotatable flange except when its opening is in register with a port ofthe flange, and pacln'ng between the flange and explosion chamber andbetween the flange and manifold pipe to prevent hydrocarbon leakage.

5.In an internal combustion engine, a

rotatable member having peripheral cavities forming explosion chambersand having an adjacent peripheral liange with transverse orts betweensaid cavities, a fixed member aving an annular band and a radial {iangeboth maln close running fit with the periphery an flange of therotatable head, respectively, and means for automatically lubricatingthe rubbing parts.

6. In an internal combustion engine, a rotatable member having periheral cavities forming expansion chambers, xed explosion chambers, meansfor creatin air currents by the rotation of the rotatab e member andmeans for subjecting said chambers to the cooling action of the aircurrents.

7 A rotary member for internal combustion engines having peripheralcavities forming explosion chambers and a peripheral flange withtransverse ports between the cavities in combination with a fixed memberhaving expansion chambers discharging into the cavities of the rotarymember as the cavities come opposite, and means for supplying ahydrocarbon element to the expansion chambers through the ports in theperipheral flange.

8. A rotary member for internal combustion'engines. having peripheralcavities formexplosion chambers, annular peripheral oilruns, and aperipheral lian e with transverse ports between the cavities incombination with va fixed member having ex ansion chambers discharginginto the cavities of the rotary member as the cavities come opposite,and means for supplying a hydro carbon element to the expanslon chambersthroulgh the ports in the peripheral flange.

9. fixed member for internal combustion engines having one or moreexplosion chambers and one or more exhaust outlets, in combination witha rotary member having peripheral cavities which are successivelybrought into communication with said explosion chambers, and a flangewith transverse ports between said cavities through which a hydrocarbonelement is supplied to said explosion chambers.

In wltness whereof we have hereunto set our hands at Indianapolis,Indiana, this 25th day of October, 1919.

GOTTLOB F. SCHMID.` KARL Q.. SCHMID.

